Brass Jazzsinger
| image = | kanji = ブラスジャズシンガー | romaji = Burasu Jazushingā | title = The Harmonious Rhapsody | race = Visored | birthplace = | birthday = November 1st | age = 350 (Chronologically) 26 (Biologically) | gender = Female | height = 210 cm (6'11") | weight = 86 kg (190 lbs) | eye color = Green | hair color = Orange (Normally Redhead) | measurements = 56-26-50 (Bust-Waist-Hips) | affiliation = Sonnenreich | previous affiliation = | profession = Spirit Detective Musician Artist | previous profession = | division = | previous division = | team = Sternjagers | previous team = | partner = Violette Beauregard Bruunhilde Schrodinger Hinata Kusanagi Shimatsu Tora | previous partner = | base of operations = | bounty = 1,000,000,000 | marital status = Single | relatives = | education = | status = Active | shikai = Sumiezu Hikute | bankai = Sumiezu Sekengaka | resurrección =Sumiezu Kashoukitsune: Cephalupe | english = (Normal and Singing) | japanese = (Main) (Singing) }} “Instead of fighting, can I interest you in a little concert instead?” - Brass Jazzsinger Brass Jazzsinger (ブラスジャズシンガー, Burasu Jazushinga) is a Visored that resides in the Human World. Working as a Spirit Detective, she helps solve all manner of cases that range from everyday ordinary to the strangely supernatural. Whenever shes not working an investigation, she spends her free time as a renowned musician. Given her youthful and stylish appearance, many people (including her fans) are often surprised by how old she is. Born 450 years before Sōsuke Aizen’s defection from Soul Society, Brass was raised during the final days of the Italian Renaissance. Despite living in a peaceful era of classical cultural resurgence (such as music), her life ended early from a Hollow attack. The next period of her life was no less tragic, Brass was forced to brave the lawlessness and poverty of Rugonkai. Even after surviving that hellish childhood, her life once again took another downward spiral as she was attacked again by the very same Hollow that took her life in the Human World. After being saved by a mysterious figure, Brass learned that the cost of surviving is to live with the hollow pervading her soul. This new existence doomed her to a life of being a pariah. Angry and upset, Brass lashed out; with her emotions getting the best of her, she began to lose herself in the Hollow transformation. With Soul Suicide becoming a deadly possibility, the mysterious figure managed to stabilize her condition, transforming her into a Visored. Fearful of Central 46's judgement, Brass left Soul Society to hide out amongst humanity, aiding as an investigator of occult manners and all things mystical. She currently has a bounty on her head of 1,000,000,000 Kan. Brass's personality and demeanor has earned her the title Harmonious Rhapsody (睦まじい 狂詩曲, Mutsumajii Kyoushikyoku). No matter the situation, Brass always maintain a happy disposition; always choosing to diffuse tense situations with her singing and musical performances. Her moniker took true meaning ever since her hollow powers first manifested in the form of music. Despite her new existence being despised and feared by humanity, she still seeks to help it. Appearance Brass Jazzsinger is a spry woman that possesses a noticeably curvaceous body and beauty to match. Thanks to her pampered life living in Violette Beauregard's mansion, her skin is silky smooth and blemish-free. Were it not for the beauty mark on her right cheek her skin would truly be flawless. Her green eyes sparkled like a jade gemstone, accentuating her luscious red hair, which draped past her broad shoulders. Her luscious lips sparkled with a lovingly bright reddish bloom, demonstrating her keen sense for fashion. Brass is classy enough to use the perfect makeup to bring out her natural features. Despite how beautiful her face is, it would be her voluptuous chest that captivates the attention of onlookers. Her body however lacked visible musculature such as abs but that was due to her habit of drinking sake a lot. Her hips were mighty in size and width, matching her bust to perfection. However, as physically attractive as she is, her defining feature is her unusual height. Standing at 210cm, nearly 7 feet tall, Brass is easily the tallest person among company. Combined with her beauty, she generally commands the attention of the entire room. When on important missions for the Sonnenreich, Brass dons a white top hat, decorated with a Wandenreich Medallion on the hats blue brim, with two yellow carnations laid on each side. Additionally, She wears a predominantly white overcoat with blue stripes that go down the sleeves, leading to her opera glove worn hands. Her Quincy uniform, which consists of a customized gray top reminiscent of a female 1950s sailor’s uniform, flaunt gold buttons and a large Quincy-blue bow that gently hugs her chest. Lower down her body, Her hips are decorated by a fashion-forward gray and blue miniskirt, embroiled by a black leather belt that centers a golden musical note belt buckle. This impressive, stylish ensemble would end at her white boots, leaving Brass ready for any model show or excursion. Her normal day-to-day outfit gives no indication that Brass herself is a Shinigami nor an agent of the Quincy-based Sonnenreich. For starters, she wears a black top hat with a white brim surrounding the base. When walking, her hair sways side to side, giving others a glimpse of her glistening musical note earrings. For her neck, she wears a snazzy black choker with a simple white brooch adorned; attached is yet another musical note insignia. Below that, she sports a yellow corset top that struggles to conceal her overflowing cleavage. Further down, people can see her casually exposed midriff and a matching yellow skirt that tightly wraps around her large hips. To keep warm, she wears a black leather jacket with the sleeves slightly rolled up. Lastly, seductive yellow high-heeled boots to complete her ensemble. Overall, Brass' outfit intentionally leaves little to the imagination. Personality As an out and about party girl, Brass makes it her utmost priority that everyone is having a good time. Whether its sneaking a few drinks and spiking her friends tea or simply telling an entertaining anecdote, Brass wants everyone to smile and enjoy themselves. Despite living a life riddled with tragedy and being forced out of Soul Society, she surprisingly retained her lax and upbeat demeanor; one could attribute this to her time spent with the Sternjagers and her peaceful days living in the Human World. What many people won’t realize given her looks and the way she carries herself among company is that shes a very insightful person. Being a seasoned detective, Brass is very perceptive; able to easily discern a person's true nature and intentions, akin to being an empath or a living lie detector. An important facet of her character is the drive for style. Her top hat, her enjoyment of wearing corsets and custom brand clothes, not to mention her love of art of all kinds, adds to the idea that style is very important to her. Even in battle, she fights in (and with) style. For example, Brass always wears her fashionable top hat, even if it hinders her sight or puts her at a disadvantage; always making sure its perfectly positioned in every stage of the battle. This sense of honoring her style sensibilities can be deeply crippling, and is a great weakness to her when she chooses to engage in combat. However, over time she has learn to adapt to this and made snappy, on-the-fly decisions that would help her preserve her sense of style and show-play by integrating it into her combat strategies. However, if she was ever put in a situation where the life of her friends are on the line, she will forgo all theatrics in order to get serious. Despite this, Brass likes to remain an enigma when it comes to meeting someone for the very first time; often joking around and appearing very transparent about being tongue-in-cheek. Most of the time she chooses to be as mysterious as the mystery she's investigating. Generally she fibs and tell white lies about her Zanpakutō abilities in order to keep the true nature of her Shikai and Bankai a secret, even from her allies. Mysteries in general have always fascinated her and been the motivating factor in her undergoing investigations and scouting missions for the Eighth Division. Despite her exile from the Gotei 13, her drive for mystery still stays true to her soul, motivating her to find and solve mysteries that pervade human and spirit-kind. Her enjoyment of music stemmed from the soothing melodies heard during her time in the Soul Society. If there was any real solution to help ease her mind, whether it be from the memories of those exhaustive days during her time at the academy, or the gut-wrenching turmoil she experienced when she was persecuted, it would be listening to the various songs she deeply connected with. In fact it was through this love and affinity that had Brass scouring the Human World for exotic instruments leading her to discover all kinds of new music in the process. Jazz, swing and rock music quickly became her favorite genres, though she will always say there’s nothing beating the classic guitar. Furthermore, she outright despises people singing badly, believing that they are a disservice to the art form, and will not hesitate to critique them harshly. While Brass enjoys a lot of what life has to offer, and does so in a care-free spirit sort of way, there are things that irk and possibly enrage her. While she loves art in all its forms, there is one genre of music that she displays an active loathing for: Country music. Particularly, she hates the propaganda surrounding the genre and how unoriginal and stale the songs can be. Additionally, the quickest and easiest way to angering her is touching or taking her prized top hat. She is rather particular in wearing it 99% of the places she goes. Her hat makes her feel distinct and different from others, and to take that away makes her feel unimportant and worthless. Lastly, given all the work and care she’s given to maintain her 80 year old Shanoa guitar, she is immensely particular on who she allows to touch "her". Since music is a very personal aspect of her life, mistreating her guitar is the same as violating her soul. Music and Style are not the only things that interest Brass when it comes to the Human World and Soul Society. For example, she enjoys researching various mythologies, Shintoism being a particular one she holds a great deal of love for. She discovered this fondness for Shintoism when she departed from the Soul Society, drifting between the many different shrines in Japan. Brass naturally gravitated towards the various Kitsune artworks that decorated the shrine walls. And despite her love for modern outfits, she adored the attire of Shinto priests. Before she decided on her current musical earrings, she previously wore magatama earrings. Furtheremore, if she were ever stranded on a deserted island and can only carry with her two items, it would be her black guitar: Shanoa, and a dry and cool companion called Sake. It is no secret to her friends that Brass loves drinking, oftentimes she’d joke that she can drink 17 times a day. If one were to look into the refrigerator of her apartment, they would see that over half of it was filled with various brands of sake. A favorite claim of hers is that she can outdrink Onis. Because of her regular drinking, she has developed a comically powerful tolerance for alcohol. Lastly, Brass possesses a keen eye for fashion, as exemplified by the snazzy outfits she wears for the Sonnenreich and her normal day-to-day life. She channels her intuition and sensibilities that has been honed from a century of mystery cases and deductions, into figuring out the best traits that might illuminate the next trend in the fashion scene. Her fashion savvy also derives from analyzing the trends she's seen throughout her time in the Human World, believing that the fashion industry goes in a cycle that repeats certain trends from time to time. A third aspect comes from her unique artistic viewpoints which utilizes the first two aspects into crafting the perfect ensemble that contains not only a fully fledged outfit, but matching accessories and stylish shoes to wear. These factors combined with her unique personality aid in picking outfits for not only herself but for her friends as well. However, the hardest part for her is not overdressing for an occasion. As a fashion savant, she knows that all it takes is one accessory to make or break an ensemble. History Equipment Shanoa (シャノア): Brass’s favorite instrument, a primarily black electric guitar with yellow streaks ordained along its middle section. She takes precious care of her instrument, which has lasted for over 80 years. Oftentimes, the love Brass projects onto her Shanoa is like an obsession. She has been seen sleeping with it as often as her treasured top hat, and makes remarks to it before she starts to play with it. She has been known to cradle with it after a good song. Before a concert, one of her rituals to prepare herself is to practice with Shanoa; she calls it a "make out sesh" (session). According to her, the original wood for the guitar came from the very first shamisen that led her down the musical path that she's now on. Over the years shes made changes to the guitar to further give it style, like adding a key chain with a tiny orange fox. However, One should take great caution around her prized instrument for whoever harms it would immediate incur her wrath. Kikuromegane (気黒眼鏡, Spirit Sunglasses): To the untrained eye, the Kikuromegane appear as nothing more than ordinary sunglasses used to shield one's eyes from the sun. In actuality though, Brass uses these glasses to analyze gruesome crime scenes and investigate suspicious paranormal activities. The lenses of these glasses are coated with a unique liquid that picks up the various Reiryoku signatures leftover from spiritual abilities. However, If the scene is relatively 'fresh', the glasses will also pick up on the Reiraku (霊絡, Spirit Coils) of the suspects; leading her to the direction they have fled. Unlike the Reiryoku and Reiraku that can be seen by spiritual beings if they concentrate hard enough, these sunglasses can differentiate between Shinigami, Arrancar, Hollows, Fullbringers and Quincy energy. Each source's power signature seen through these sunglasses gives off a unique color, similar to fingerprints at a crime scene. When the glasses are not being used for detective work, the lenses can be swapped for reading lenses. Reifuda '(霊札, ''Soul Talisman): After unlocking her Shikai with the help of her Shinigami peers, Brass was able to access the melanokinetic powers of her Zanpakutō. Sumiezu has the power to blend her Reiryoku into the ink she produces, imbuing what she writes on with unique abilities. After gaining a solid understanding and proficiency with the art of Kidō, she had the innovative idea to create talismans using her Shikai's ink. In doing so, she was able to carry with her a large assortment of gear and equipment without the need of bags or pockets. When using the Reifuda, the talisman will absorbs the chosen item into the ink for easy travel. The ink on the talismans will turn blue to indicate that it is being used, and red when not in use. With these handy parchments though, Brass can load up on crime evidence, important artifacts, or enemy equipment without disturbing the environment or leaving behind any fingerprints or lingering Reiryoku signatures. During her escape from Soul Society, Brass took with her into exile the various items that are standard for normal Shinigami operations. These items include the following: *Denreishinki' (伝令神機, ''Divine Messenger Machine): *'Gigai' (義骸, Faux Body): *'Kikanshinki' (記換神機, Account-Replacing Spirit Device): Powers & Abilities Natural Abilities Immense Spiritual Power: When Brass releases her spiritual power, it comes with a yellow dazzling color. From her work with the Rugonkai circus to the academy, her reishi has always felt stylistic. For example when working with the circus, she’d like to finish off an act by sending off flickers of her reiatsu akin to fireworks and streamers that would dazzle the crowd and leave them in awe. When wielding her zanpakuto’s abilities, her reiatsu changes and shifts according to her own feelings. When people feel her reiatsu¸ it gives off the feeling that she can manipulate the background akin to a painting. It can ebb and flow like crashing waves. When she is angry, her reiatsu can cover people and feel acidic as it attempts to tear through people’s skins. *'Paralysis-Inducing Pressure': Brass is capable of paralyzing a large number of average captain-class opponents with a strong exertion of her reiatsu. She usually starts by giving a demure smile before the wave of reiatsu starts to overtake them. Opponents have said on record of a deafening sensation as if a loud scream of a banshee affected them, forcing them to double over. While she cannot hide her emotions all too well when she exerts her pressure, she can mix differing emotions into them, making the opponent confused or catching said person off guard. A strong enough difference in pressure in Brass's favor will allow her to just disarm the opponent in place, making them drop their weapon as their sole course of action. *'Intaglio': After unlocking the latent abilities of her zanpakuto, Brass can summon forth a weakened version of her ink without the use of her zanpakuto. As a weakened version of the spiritual ink from Sumiezu, Brass can create simple objects when in a meeting that requires discretion. From a small sword, a dagger, to even a gun or two. She can only generally create items the size of her hands but with some finesse she can extend the range of her attacks. For example, she can press a little bit of ink to her hands and pull them into short-ranged tendrils akin to the quincy technique of Ransotengai but with hair. Given how weak this technique is, it can only manipulate light weight objects like hair. Immense Physical Prowess: Brass’s past in rugonkai allowed her many an opportunity to condition herself. One shouldn’t let her constant, relentless appetite for sake dissuade the thought of Brass being nimble and athletic. Before she joined the academy, Brass was forced to scavenge for food. Those that were spiritually awakened in Rugonkai had to bear the pain of hunger, and Brass was no different. Eventually, her athletic ability was good enough to allow her to attempt to steal scraps of food from the more affluent households. She only got better after she jumped and slide her way through the shinigami academy in order to enter the Gotei 13 squads. * Immense Physical Strength: Due to her training with her zanpakuto and with the other Sternjagers, Brass is capable of performing many a feat of strength. Like many a strong shinigami, she's able to manipulate her Reiryoku to increase her strength, speed and endurance to some extent, though her speed to a more limited amount compared to the other two. While she isn’t as strong as some sternjaegers like Violette Beauregard, she can at the very least keep up with others as Mei-fang can attest to through their sparring matches. Brass like most competitors can use around 26 percent of her natural strength, increasing her energy over to fifty percent when pushed far enough. She thanks the wonderful facilities that the Beauregard manor had for this. Alas, though while she’s strong, she naturally has her limits. Her fighting style, a combination primarily of kicks, grabs and counters, has conditioned her body to deliver powerful kicks with those bodacious thighs of hers. * Immense Speed: Whilst Brass’s skill with flashstep is not at the level of the Legendary Goddess of Flash, or faster than some speed-focused Captains, her speed is adequate enough to outrun a lot of the run-of-the-mill shinigami that are stationed in the poorer rugonkai districts. Like any shinigami that has gained a seat, she’s able to use the technique of Flash Step to maneuver herself for long distances or through a battlefield. The conditioning of her leg muscles and strength were helpful with her fighting style, but they were also helpful in running from place to place and allowing her to be ahead of pursuers. Her speed also extends to her hands as she can throw out fists or fling swords around that can shock people. Her hands are quick enough that she can draw hundreds of pictures in just a short time too, amazing those that see her work. As fast as she is though, her speed is one of her weaker aspects when it comes to fighting people at the higher levels of spiritual power. * Enhanced Reflexes: From taking items in her days in the circus for the crime syndicate, to besting the high score on the latest Dance Dance Revolution machine, Brass is able to exhibit extreme control with her action in a fight. This can range from each swing with her zanpakuto, to each step from her dances. She has also been through multiple scuffles as a detective, honing her intuition by leaps and bounds. As her fighting style has a focus in countering people’s attacks, her reflexes are very important to cultivate in order to improve. Her reflex skills are good enough that she can change the direction of her kido mid-chant. * Skilled Acrobatic and Flexibility: Before she joined the Gotei 13, Brass once joined a Rugonkai circus in order to live a satisfactory life. Throughout her tenure here, she trained in a variety of circus acts, like the trapeze and acrobatics. Her time at the circus shaped her body to the point where she can contort and perform a variety of feats. Even before her time at the circus, she was able to outmaneuver guards when foraging for scraps. Free running to her was important during those early years as it was the only way a street rat like her could get any food without finding a job, and yet it was due to that that Brass was able to perform so well in the Gotei 13 academy exercises, doing feats like climbing poles and roofs in a deftly manner. * Monstrous Durability: What might surprise most of her allies; it’s just how resilient Brass is when it comes to taking attacks. Throughout the centuries of her 450 year old existence, she has taken multiple attacks from hollows, other shinigamis, even quincies and arrancars given their supposed rarities. For all of her issues with her frailty in battle, she has the amazing talent of staying alive against the hardest swings one can muster. Her resistance is also strong against mental attacks, a necessary when hollow powers has the ability to control people through music and sounds. While she has a high resistance, this does not mean she is impervious to such techniques, and can be affected with enough mental strength. Immense Willpower: Despite her tortured past, Brass has a powerful sense of will and determination, which is expressed best through her musical abilities and her inclination to smile towards people, even to opponents to a certain degree. Before she was sent to the Academy, she lead an impoverished life in the seiretei, but her hope was expressed best in the songs she'd play for passerbys. While her life was horrible before she joined the academy, it paled in comparison to how lonesome she was feeling after the incomplete infusion of Cephalupe with in her during that fateful day. Whether despite that, or due to her experiences, she contains a wellspring of willpower and inner strength, making her resolve strong enough to carry out the goals of the sternjaeger. Great Adaptability and Flexibility: People have noted how flexible and adaptable Brass is through battles with her comrades in the Sternjager. As she is slightly slower compared to her Sternjager compatriots, she makes up for it due to her skills in dodging attacks and parrying blades in quick succession. Whether her adaptability is a result of her human upbringing as a mafia hitman or from her years of experience through the academy, is but a secret hidden within Brass's mind. A common tactic of hers in a parry is for her to use her blade in one hand to deflect the blade downward, while wagging a finger from side to side. Due to her adaptability she's able to deftly turn and utilize her hand to hit said opponent again with her wagging finger. Being adaptable and flexible in a fight is a core requirement to being a great fighter, but even outside of battle, Brass has uncanny adaptability. People often tell her that she's a one-woman band, that she can play various instruments of varying difficulty. Shinigami Abilities Master Kenjutsu Swordsmanship- Brass was trained more to fight like a samurai, relying on the battlefield around her, and light quick attacks that focus more on feinting and dodging her opponent while waiting for an opening for her more heavy attacks. Kenjutsu (剣術) is the umbrella term for schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. The modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century included modern form of kenjutsu in their curriculum too. She mainly switches between a defensive stance and an offensive one, though due to her endurance, she has a penchant to become a shield for others whenever possible, utilizing her Ken’atsu (剣圧, Sword Pressure) to push enemies away from her and her compatriots. Expert Hakuda Combatant : 'Brass as an expert of this art can take on average armed opponents and those many times their size easily. Those of this level are among the seated officers of the Gotei 13 and as such she would fit upon this level. She's well versed in hand-to-hand combat in instances where they are lacking in a weapon or need the use of the skill to give them an edge in battle. While not a master, she is more than capable of handling herself in a physical altercation. Tying into her flexibility and adaptability, her style in Hakuda amounts to focusing on counters. To her, every sword swing or punch/kick allows the ability to retaliate in that instance to turn the tide of a fight. An example of this amounts to her using her shins to bend a person's arm in mid swing, then tossing that person towards the ground, adding in a punch to the face to make sure that the opportunity of offense can happen before one's time of surprise is wasted. '''Kido Expert ': Brass possess considerable knowledge of '''Kidō '''and its various forms. She can use mid-level spells to great effect even without incantation, though they generally use incantations for higher-level spells to ensure maximum power. Brass preferrs to collect different '''Bakudō and Kaidō '''due to their utility. Out of her kido, she would know those around the 80s range, and if she was the boasting type, she would state that she would know around forty to fifty such incantations. While in the academy days, she was able to gather quite a lot of information about the methods of using kido like '''Eishōhaki (詠唱破棄, Incantation Abandonment) and Nijū Eishō (二重詠唱, Twofold Incantation), able to both use her kido fast and combining two kido incantations together to confuse the opponent respectively. Other Abilities Art Prowess- For Brass, Art is her blood alongside music. She lives for art: finding art, appreciating it, even making it herself. In the 450 years she’s existed, she’s been able to work on most art styles that are used to this day, from the classical styles to modern and abstract. From time to time, she takes up a pen name and joins the Manga Industry, gaining some money on the side as a mangaka. Due to her abilities, she’s able to quickly do any art assignments or commissions within a day, leaving her free time to pursue other interests. When it comes to art there is no style she dislikes to draw. She’s even made most of the money she has as an artist of the more…suggestive kind. Music Prowess- One of her favorite pastimes is both listening to and producing music. She loves to even think of songs that would fit people as soon as she meets them. Some of her favorite genres of music are Jazz, rock, blues, and J-pop. When she’s not in a case or drawing, she likes to practice her music, while it’s with her black guitar Shanoa or any of the instruments she keeps around her apartment. She will even utilize her fingertips or other equipment to make a beat. Thanks to her talent, people have even created rumors that she can hide messages within her songs, to somehow explain how some of her songs can relax people or sway to like her. Keen Intellect: Brass is highly intelligent, able to quickly figure out seemingly complex problems. In addition, she is an excellent strategist and tactician, as when combining to her team role as a scout in Soul Society, she was able to guide people with tips to succeed in difficult missions. Where her analytical mind exceeds best at though is with her investigations, able to piece together a precise portrait of the crime scene faster than many other detectives in Yosei City.Stretching back to her days in the eighth division, she was viewed highly by her captain as an investigator. * Master Manipulator: As an ace detective, Brass had to learn of the criminal mind and the tricks they would do to make sure they got away. As sometimes one has to employ criminals’ tricks to get them to talk, Brass had to develop experience in manipulating people and coercion. This is often a skill that surprises her friends given her friendly attitude and harmonious nature, but she reserves her use of this skill only when it is truly necessary to figure out the truth of what an individual states. The use of this skill can go from utilizing a person’s insecurities to their fears and anticipation in order to have them tell the truth. Despite her altruistic tendencies, she has used this skill to satisfy baser interests. * Highly Perceptive Combatant: Brass is very intuitive and observational, able to easily see through a person's demeanor and determine what they are thinking about. This aspect ties into her detective work through her years of experience throughout the human world. Her intellect allows her to gather context clues from a person’s body language to their inflection within their words. She’s able to quickly grasp and break down the nature of an opponent’s abilities even when under said opponent’s effects. As a worldly traveler and as a rogue Shinigami, Brass has the fortunate ability to use her street smarts and her environment against her opponents, as well as playing onto one’s emotions to give her an advantage. Typically, she can pick up on a person’s flaws within the first few minutes to aid her in her endeavors and through that easily get the information that she desires whether through interrogation or other ways. * Multilingual: '''Brass before she met Violette and her group, was a bit of a world traveler; seeking various songs and instruments to add to her repertoire. Through that, she was able to learn the following languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, German, Hindu, and Mandarin. '''Kitsunebi (狐火 , japanese for will of the wisps) As a partner to Medaka Hironaka , her diminutive and easily angered visored friend. Due to a mixture of her prankster nature and her desire to punish Brass for any ‘slights’ she might conceive, she created a method for which to turn Brass into a white-furred fox. The markings of this form seem very similar to her hollow mask, almost giving her the appearance of a hollow. The technique to turn into this form was at first created by an outside jewel-like device that would zap and change her form forcibly. Due to being in this form and adapting to it however, Brass has the ability to willingly turn into this form, which has many uses in missions. As an unassuming albino fox, Brass can hide quickly to scout out important locations without any notice. When in battle, the quick speed of a fox allows her to deal attacks at a much faster pace when she needs to defeat someone quickly. While she can use her zanpakuto on her mouth and use some of her techniques, they don’t have the same finesse as she would in human form, only able to use Sumiezu as a way to block people away or slowing them down. * Size Manipulation: In this feral fox form, Brass can shift her size to allocate her body within various nooks around the realms. Typically for missions that require some fighting, this form would be 6 feet in height yet she has been as small as 3 feet, to as large as 10-15 ft, or more if she has to, as an example, carry a group of people through a hazardous location. Zanpakutō Sumiezu( 墨 絵図 , Japanese for “ink drawing” ) - Her sword is fashioned after an odachi, black-hilted and contains a musical-note keychain.This being Brass’s stylish zanpakuto, it shines with a mix of Brass’s artful soul blended with the wonderful “ink of life”, If Brass were to describe the essence of her sword herself. Her love of music and art extends even to the side of the blade as it is decorated with various notes. It would be interesting to note that sometimes, it’s as if the notes dance to the tune that Brass would think in her mind, a note to the link between her and her own zanpakuto. Sometimes, notes won’t even appear on her blade too, instead scripture or just mystical-looking lines decorating the blade. The artistic blade is capped by a yellow sheathe, a note to one of Brass’s favorite colors. Inner World The world of Sumiezu ebbs and flows as an artist drawing a painting on a canvas. As art is drawn from the very passions of the heart of Sumiezu’s wielder, an empty stage shows great potential and versatility for whoever controls the area; that is the core of the zanpakuto. Whoever has a commanding presence, whether it’d be Brass, or her zanpakuto spirit, or even her inner hollow. Depending on Brass’s mood the white screen would either shine bright lights to express delight, to the entire scenery losing color or be monochrome. Any of the three expressed can summon forth various props, ranging from hoops to stands or whips. In this space, everybody is a performer and as such these tools are necessary for them. When Brass was first able to reach her zanpakuto spirit, she had to walk on a trapeze in order to reach her blade to first activate her shikai. The difficulty ramped up as the spotlight focused on her, momentarily blinding her sight. It took a while until she made her way over to the end, claiming access to her ink abilities. Sumiezu herself begets the motif of adaptability as she is a creature of a clear liquid. Her eyes are blue and gooey, which despite the uniform color can trail and watch just as well as normal eyes. She also has six tendrils extending from her back with suckers at the ends, typical of octopi. She is then covered by a second membrane that acts like her clothing, sporting a stylish top and bottom. While initially fearful, of her wielder, she does come to accept and like Brass's showgirl-like tendencies. Brass gaining a bankai became a more difficult endeavor thanks to the addition of her inner hollow. She would often mess with her performances to appease her zanpakuto by ruining the lights, or messing up her songs, which she’s used to help portray her feelings to the zanpakuto spirit. Thanks to the manipulating ways of the fox hollow Cephalupe, her spirit had lost a lot of her love for music, gaining a preference to silence. Eventually, Brass is able to use misdirection and guile to finally show Sumiezu that she truly cares for the zanpakuto fully, and by fighting the manifestation of Cephalupe’s musical machinations, and then soon after fighting amicably against the powers of her spirit, she was able to gain full access to all of Sumiezu’s abilities, brightening the stage into a glittering sight. The Shikai command is'Draw: Sumiezu Hikute'( 墨 絵図 引く手 , Japanese for Ink Draw Inducer) – Brass’s artistic ability is exemplified by this signature technique, granting her utmost control and versatility in battle. As Brass gives out the command for her sword to release, her sword becomes sheathed in black ink-like spiritual essence. Like most powerful abilities, at first glance it won’t seem to be able to do much effect given how there are Shinigami with the power of controlling one’s senses and such. But the key in her ability is granting her access to ink manipulating powers. In this state, Brass utilizes her sword mostly as a conductor's wand of sorts to lead her constructs into battle. The increase of her powers is such that she can create self-sufficient creatures for various aspects. The beauty in creation lies in the imagination of the wielder. For Brass being an artist that has transcended different mediums (Sculptures, paintings, tattoos as examples), she’s able to tap into the canvas that is the spiritual medium, from creating reiatsu weapons of varying sharpness, to barriers that could withstand powerful attacks. Shikai Special Ability: Her reiatsu increases to that of a typical lieutenant level shinigami and her ink creations are considered part of her reiatsu. Even if she seals her zanpakuto, her creations can still attack, although will eventually dissipate. Her constructs can take many forms, for suits of armor to abominations that would only exist within one’s nightmares. Depending on how much reiatsu she pours into creation will determine how powerful or the durability of the construct. Whenever such a construct “dies” for lack of a better word, the ink will stay inert. Brass can still control the ink but as a consequence, reenergizing the ink takes more reiatsu. One needs to focus on also destroying and evaporating the ink if they were to truly disable her constructs fully. Ink Dolls: (墨 偶人, Sumiguujin) This technique creates various constructs limited to Brass's imagination. They will always be created in the black and greenish color her ink will usually be the color of. What sets this apart from her typical ability is the fact that Brass can send her reiatsu to detonate her ink creations as an explosion, but the ink constructs can attack as an extension of her own self. The ability can be extended to objects that she creates, turning them into miniature bombs, or she can just press her blade against something made out of ink to make it explode, utilizing the art around the realms as her own personal weapon. Slip and slide: ( スリップとスライド, Surippu to suraido) This technique coats the floor in a slippery substance that will send the target's trajectory in a wayward direction, making them lose control. The technique can be modified so as to create a binding patch of ink upon one's feet. If one has powerful enough reishi, they will be able to escape by evaporating the ink that is on their person. Brass mainly uses it as an ability to distract but given her ingenuity, she can use it to bring people closer to her as well, forcing the opponent to fight with her at melee range. Naturally, she can do the same to push the opponent away if their attacks are too strong, likely tripping them up given that she has a penchant to using this on the legs or feet. Tattoo Seal ( 入れ墨 印, Irezumi-in) An ability activated by slashing and coating the target (ally or enemy) with her ink. Depending on the image it'll increase/decrease the target's strength, speed or reiatsu. While her seals stay strong, her seals have the adverse situation of getting evaporated with enough reiatsu to evaporate the seal. The more attributes and the stronger the effect, the more reiatsu and ink is needed to apply it towards a person. What makes this ability fascinating to her own mind is the ability to manipulate tattoos that people already have into her own seals, which will make her hold slightly stronger to hold, is still succumbed to the weakness of reiatsu evaporation, the original tattoo still there. A secondary effect is the ability to keep kido within the confines of her ink, creating a tattoo that she can use even outside of shikai to use kido without expending her reserves. Sumiezu: Sekengaka( 墨 絵図 世間 画家 Japanese for Ink Drawer: The world’s artist) Brass has spent some time with training in order to craft this “most stylish and strongest” form of her zanpakuto. She readies out her blade as she yells out the release command “Mekkemono gijutsu nioite isshiki" (Japanese for "finding art in all"), her yellow-greenish reiatsu starting to increase by leaps and bounds as her weapon starts to change form. If she’s utilized her Shikai’s ink abilities before, the ink starts to seep back into the fountain that is her zanpakuto, a pentagram made out of ink starting to form around her feet. In this pristine form, her zanpakuto seems to freeze up into a crystalized katana, the melted ink solidified. Her reishi is etched upon her sword in circuit-like lines that etch her yellow-greenish reiatsu throughout the sword, capping her blade in a pointed edge. A peculiar aspect of her sword is that the main crystalline portion of her sword changes through different colors, the blade itself is a canvas for Brass’s thoughts and emotions as she goes into battle. Her outfit changes slightly when in this form, the rather revealing clothing instead becomes an outfit befitting a ronin. Yellow and black sleeves now adorn her outfit, the black outlines of a fox across her dress’s pants, her top and bottom areas bounded by the belt she usually wears. As she fights, what is surprising to most people, her outfit’s black areas seem to change into a myriad of colors, at times becoming a beautiful rainbow of colors as she attacks with her crystalized sword. Her top hat naturally stays adorned. Bankai Special Ability: Brass’s Bankai’s special ability is an extension of her previous ability as Shikai, namely how her ink can create constructs from her reiatsu to aid her in battle. Sumiezu’s true power is the reign of “art imitating life”, her constructs now imitate it to a precise manner, although Brass needs to spray ink upon the person of her desire to do so. She could create lifelike sculptures and mannequins of great fighter’s she’s seen, even of weapons like zanpakutos. Naturally as such a powerful ability, this taxes Brass’s reiatsu reserves, and the created weapon/people are weaker duplicates depending on how much reiatsu she pours in. The duplicates and created items can theoretically match the original’s power though. Monstrous Spiritual Power: After proving to herself to her zanpakuto, Brass is able to unlock the full potential of Sumiezu. When she summons forth her bankai using the Kaigo (解号, Release Call, an immense and suffocating amount of black and greenish reishi surrounds her. Ink and paint grabbed from nearby signs and buildings would surround her if this was done around civilization, bolstering her strength by leaps and bounds. At this state, she can control any aspect of ink, from the normal ink from pen, to invisible ink. She can even rip reishi from the environment to create more ink for her abilities, allowing her the ability to use various skills like Kotta Seisei. Her reiryoku can suffocate people whose strength are lower than captain level and can be manipulated to acidify people, harming them. Whilst the acidic property was not as strong in her Shikai, here every slice from her sword carries on this aspect. Kotta Seisei '''( 凝った生成 Artistic Creation) One of her core abilities which ties into her artistic power, Brass is able to mold, splatter or to generalize it as best as possible, manipulate her ink into creating wonderful sculptures… and yet she’s always been interested in manipulating the body as a canvas itself. This technique starts with Brass affixing the blunt edge of her sword onto an arm, yelling out the ability’s name. The sword will then cover the arm, spreading the crystalline paint throughout her body as it molds and shapes her body. In the arms of an artist like Brass, she’s able to mold her body and form, increasing her flexibility to higher levels. This allows her to do things like transforming her body into weapons as well, from heavy hammers to serrated swords. The determining factors of this ability are her imagination and the amount of reiatsu the ability takes. If her concentration breaks up, she can’t maintain the forms that she takes on. '''KataFuujikomu( 型 封じ込む Model Entrap) An extension of the ink manipulation abilities Sumiezu has, now Brass’s Bankai has the ability to solidify and trap people or objects within it’s fold. The ability starts with but a drop on a person or object, then gradually starts to creep through the body, covering more of the target as time goes on. A smack to the solidified ink only melts the material, forcing the person to require a huge amount of reiatsu to evaporate every single drop of her material. Brass can even combine this ability with her body, solidifying it to such levels as if she had her own personal hierro. Of course such constructs can be breakable with a strong enough reishi level. Keihin-In( 景品 印 Gifting Seal) An extension of the Tattoo Seal skill she displayed in Shikai form. While it focuses on her improving her target, the image or word crafted will gift the person with an item based of her Bankai's special ability. For example, if she created a spiritual weapon with the ability of sending flames, she can sacrifice the weapon's form to imbue it within a person as a temporary boost, giving that person the ability to send scorching flames out of their finger tips. Something she finds utterly "fun" in her vocabulary is the ability to turn that effect into a negative, reversing the effect onto an opponent. Hollow Mask Cephalupe The name is an amalgamation of Cephalopod and Lupine, given way to the fact that it is a combination of a Fox and an octopus hollow. Her masked form would allow her the edge she needs that one would normally lack without Bankai. Her attacks would be much more slower and, due to the nature of her abilities, more telegraphed towards the opponent. Naturally this would come with the usual Hollow abilities like Cero. Hollowfication Special Ability: When calling forth her mask, Brass is able to tap into the power of Music Manipulation: the ability to let the user manipulate and generate music, an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. Her songs can not only debilitate and hurt the enemy but strengthen and bolster the allies she makes. Cero (Spanish for Zero) The standard blast for any hollow or arrancar, Brass can shoot one out from her mouth or fingertips. It’s important to note that despite the source, firing out a cero does not slow or hamper any of her musical abilities, as her manipulation comes deep within her body. Enhanced Spiritual Power: As emblematic of every visored’s mask, whenever Brass places on her mask, her spiritual level gains an enhancement from the addition of hollow power. Now tapping on the powers of hollow and shinigami, as soon as Brass’s mask is placed her shinigami reishi envelops around her with additional hollow reshi, blending together in a rare manner. Sounds, shrieks, even music envelops around her as soon as she uses her hollow powers, giving her the ability to add a soundtrack to a battle. With the addition of the sounds and songs from her mask, a person can feel the emotions evoked from each song used. As an example one can have a chilling sensation that takes over one’s very being from a shriek, to a hot sensation from a rhythmic salsa beat. These songs can be used to manipulate a person to be afraid of the now masked Brass, making her a much more formidable opponent than before. Onchou Tengoku '( 音調 天国 ''Japanese for Rhythm Heaven) One of her more recent abilities from her mask, Brass can craft and wield a musical instrument. The instrument is typically black, with the neck usually adorned with a skull; and depending on the instrument, a chain can be used to hold around the instrument to tie itself with Brass. Her usual use is creating a guitar that can be used as a secondary weapon alongside her zanpakuto. For instances where she feels that her zanpakuto might not be fruitful to use, like for instance to attack from afar, this technique can be used. Not only can she use her weapon as a sturdy club, but Brass can also carry techniques such as kido through the air waves, keeping the enemy off guard or distracting guards in a stealth mission. As it is intrinsically tied to the Cephalupe mask, if Brass cannot hold her mask powers in check, she cannot create the instrument. Aside from the guitar, she has been seen utilizing a violin, an acoustic guitar, a cello, and a saxophone. '''Sentō Kagura-ryū (戦刀神楽流 War-Sword Spirit Music Style) Sento Kagura-ryu, like all of the hollow abilities start up with Brass singing the incantation name that each ability does. Music will start to swell; what song comes out is based out of Brass’s mood and emotion and could go from hard punk rock instrumentals, to an orchestral swelling tune, emanating from her mask into the field. Her reiatsu would bolster and attempt to affect the enemy, decreasing their ability to withstand her ink creations or her ink swipes. The user may even start to hit with less strength if her song is allowed to continue further. Naturally reiatsu differences may lower her effectiveness of how vulnerable this would make the target. Amano Kaguramai (天の神楽舞 Heavenly Spirit Music Dance) This ability starts up with a song that will overtake the user with enough reiatsu penetration, akin to Sento Kaguya-ryu. Unlike the former ability though, this will, with enough time and focus, force the user into dancing uncontrollably as if Brass’s voice were strings upon their very soul. Furthermore, if the full effect is taken hold, then the user will be forced to dance even if damage is applied to through Brass’s or her allies’ attacks. The song utilized can be separate or the same as other songs utilized in her other abilities, but the more effects Brass piles onto a target, the more reiatsu she uses up. Mikagura '''(御神楽 Beautiful Spirit Music) This signature ability is more aimed for her and her allies than to her enemies. Mikagura aims to literally swell the spirits of her and her companions, increasing their strength, durability and speed with enough time and in that order if Brass needs to regulate her output of reiatsu. Full Hollow Form '''Sumiezu Kashoukitsune: Cephalupe ( 墨 絵図 歌唱 狐 , Japanese for Ink draw singing fox: Cephalupe) To keep the hollow in check, Brass created a powerful seal on her lower back. If this seal is removed intentionally by Brass, the full power of the hollow nestled inside is revealed. This form of Brass can also show in life-threatening situations, acting upon Brass's fears. If her threshold of fear fills up, the hollow-like reiatsu would flare up, screams blanketing the area as her form starts to take on. Her reiatsu erupts forth like a crashing wave with the potency of two captain-level Shinigami. That black ink for which she was well known for covers her entire body, covering her entire being up to her ankles, ending in white claws and paws. As the transformation finishes out, one could notice that while her voice echoes, it flings between different pitches, a testament to her control of sound. Nine tails would then spread out of her posterior, each one carrying a different mask and a musical note. The tail goes from left to right: Whole Note, Dotted Half Note, Half note, Dotted Quarter Note, Quarter Note, Dotted Eighth Note, Eighth Note, Dotted Sixteenth Note and sixteenth Note. Each tail seems to wiggle depending on the musical note, with the leftmost and rightmost one wiggling the slowest and fastest respectively. The masks etched onto each tail seem to vibrate with differing voices. It's important to note that after decades upon decades of working at controlling her inner hollow, Brass eventually with the help of Hou Mei Xing and the Sternjagers has come around with controlling this hollow form through focusing on the hollow and the many, many songs in her heart. Full Hollow Special Ability: Her powers of music manipulation are in full force now that she’s achieved a full hollowed form. Literally her powers of utilizing music to manipulate her opponents and allies have increased tenfold. In this form, she’s much more versatile than before, her note being able to be carried about by her nine tails. With but a few words, she can turn the weakest human into a lieutenant or captain-level fighter. She can also do the reverse if a sufficiently powerful being arises to battle her and her comrades. Speed would be the best manner to disable this ability. Overwhelming Spiritual Power: Calling forth the full power of Cephalupe, a deafening wail surrounds her as her skin starts to turn white. The hollow power is so prevalent in this form, that her hair gains a white streak in her hair. The songs become so prevalent and suffocating that one’s very soul can be scarred by the songs played. In this form she is powerful enough to match and even exceed a captain’s Bankai given the chance. She can even overwhelm resurrections from arrancars by just blasting them with music, rendering them as weak as a paper from a sketchbook. Just a mere note from this monstrous being is powerful enough to damage weak spiritual beings. Cero Concerto (Spanish for Zero Concert) To her allies, Brass would often talk about the beauty of music. As seen throughout various techniques of her mask, Brass can utilize her songs into affecting people: whether that’s by increasing her strength, or debilitate others. One of her first techniques appeared due to an early mission as an occult detective. The hollow had wanted to demoralize her by destroying her prized black and yellow guitar. As the strings broke, so did the vestiges of her sanity temporarily as she placed her hollow mask on. Her rage was rare and unnatural; she spouted all 9 tails as she sang a powerful wail. As if her tails were alive, each one lit up and fired ceros towards the hollow. While one was enough to defeat it, Brass was very into the song that ran through her mind, her tails firing off in tune to the beat. This is the key of Cero Concerto: a technique that has her sending a barrage of ceros. Each singular cero was equivalent to half the power of a Gran Rey Cero, but the sheer onslaught more than makes up for it. She can combine this technique alongside other techniques she has like Chūkōsai Mikagura and Dandou Buyoujuu. Chūkōsai Mikagura '''(昼光祭御神楽 Beautiful Spirit Music of the Daylight Festivities) A new day brings out rejuvenation, and with this technique her songs, no matter what they are, carry an uplifting melody which increases her stamina and health. Like all of her songs, she can transfer the song to one or multiple tails to carry the tune, increasing their potency to work on multiple people. '''Dandou Buyoujuu ( 弾道 舞踊 銃 Ballistic Dance Gun) One of the strangest techniques in Brass’s arsenal, she says the words of the technique out loud before starting to hip thrust in a leery fashion. Her tails would start to light up with a green-yellow glow, before firing off towards the target. If by some happenstance they get hit by the move, the move will gradually start to overtake the target, forcing them to do her commands if it progresses far enough. Naturally the stronger the person is, the more resistant they are to such an ability. The ability functions as the typical “earworm” concept, seeping into the brain and slowly shutting off mental priorities. Enhanced Sentō Kagura-ryū(戦刀神楽流 War-Sword Spirit Music Style) This debilitating ability is strengthened even more so as Brass achieved this form of her musical abilities. Amplified with all this hollow energy, Brass now has the ability to enfeeble the target down much more significantly, to the point that the lightest taps from a person's index finger might be able to do substantial damage to them. Enhanced Mikagura(御神楽 Beautiful Spirit Music) This signature ability is now strengthened now in the true splendor of her hollowed form, as if her song is let through, it'll be able to increase the offensive capabilities, their speed and strength substantially. In resurrection form, Brass can, as an example and if she's able to lengthen the song enough, take someone as weak as an ordinary just-awakened human, control them, and have them fight evenly with strong opponents. 88 Kokken (88黒鍵, English for 88 Black Keys) Using her flexible hand, Brass stretches them out and taps on the air. A musical sound is then heard and a materialized black-yellow blade appears from the edges of her finger tips as she plays up a song. Every stop in her playing, holding a key down; these actions are reflected by the attack. For the sake of portability, she can split the keys into two to allow hand movement in a melee fight. If she is fighting someone that she can’t maneuver, she can coil the yellow keys around her finger tips, creating sharp claws for battle. Trivia *